Sep 25, 2018 3 min read

It seems like all it has done since February is rain, Scott Faieta said.

But in spite of the soggy weather, Faieta, the assistant construction engineer for the state Department of Transportation who is overseeing the project to rebuild a 51/2-mile stretch of Interstate 70 east of Washignton, said crews are continuing to make progress. The $118 million project is being done between the East Beau and Route 519/Eighty Four interchanges in South Strabane Township. Lane Construction is the primary contractor.

“The weather has not helped,” Faieta said. “If you see crews working on the weekend, they are making up days.”

“It has been difficult to keep up,” he added Tuesday. “But on days like today, you can’t pack up and go home. We need to be further ahead than we are.”

Faieta said crews expect to start work in the next two weeks on putting in concrete for the new westbound lanes in the area between the south junction of Interstate 79 and East Beau Street. While Faieta expects the work to be done this construction season, he does not anticipate moving traffic onto the new side this year.

“They are also working on a sound barrier off the westbound lanes,” Faieta said. “That work was to have been done in 2019 or 2020, but they decided to do it now since the crews have access to the area.”

There is a good chance that crews will be working on the project until Thanksgiving, Faieta said. A split of the two lanes on the westbound side between the area of the south junction and East Beau will remain in place for the foreseeable future, although Faieta expects it to be removed later this year.

Major excavation work is being done between the south junction and Eighty Four interchange to get ready for next construction season.

Faieta said that plans still call for the project to be done in October 2020.

A project about five miles to the east on I-70 should be done by the end of the year as scheduled.

“They are in the last phase and should be done in December,” Faieta said of the $75 million project to rebuild the Bentleyville interchange.

“They’ve had their hands full as well,” he said of the contractor, Golden Triangle Construction.

State police said they continue to monitor traffic in both construction zones on a consistent basis, making sure drivers adhere to the 45 mph speed limit. Faieta also asked that drivers be mindful of construction and other vehicles coming in and out of the work area.

“We want everyone to make it home safely,” Faieta said.